A while ago, Microsoft let Insiders test a feature called Sets, which enabled users to organize related applications, documents, and tasks into multiple tabs inside a single window. It proved a rough but promising feature that made for a less cluttered, more highly focused desktop.
But that much-anticipated feature is "no more," according to a tweet from a Microsoft senior project manager.
Windows 10 Sets Dead?
When Microsoft announced Sets, users were excited since it would finally bring the much-requested tabbed experience to File Explorer. macOS users have been enjoying tabbed windows inside Finder for years, and for so long it was unclear why Microsoft hadn't yet added a similar functionality.
But Microsoft pulled public development of Sets from Insider builds a while ago and even announced that it would not be released with the Windows 10 October 2018 update, otherwise called Redstone 5. However, that announcement made it seem Windows 10 Sets was simply being developed internally and would make it back in a future Windows Insider Program build.
But now Sets has been shelved entirely, as confirmed in a tweet by Microsoft senior project manager Rich Turner. It appears Microsoft has quietly canceled the feature without telling anyone outside the company. There's no official statement or blog update mentioning it at all.
"The Shell-provided tab experience is no more, but adding tabs is high on our to do list," Turner tweeted.
What that means is while Sets might be gone, tabbed windows is still one of the company's top priorities, so hopefully users will see it come back soon, perhaps under a different name or a brand-new form altogether.
It Was Super Complicated, Anyway
As How-To Geek notes, the cancellation makes sense because Microsoft made Sets very complicated. More than just organizing tabs into one window, users could also embed Edge's browser engine. While that certainly extended its functionality, it also made the feature a bit confusing and unwieldy, not to mention counter-intuitive. There's also new Chromium-based Edge browser coming, which would make Sets much harder to implement.
So Sets is officially a goner. Granted, there are a handful of unofficial ways to get tabs in File Explorer, but that should really be a basic feature by now. There's still a chance Sets is still on the way, of course. Make sure to check back with Tech Times as we learn more, especially if Microsoft says something on this matter specifically. Meanwhile, feel free to sound off in the comments section below if you have any thoughts!
